


Wake me when I'm twenty one

by coffeeworld



Category: Beetlejuice - All Media Types
Genre: Beetlebabes if you squint, Beetlejuice Has Mood Ring Hair (Beetlejuice), Canon - Musical, Canon Compliant - Beetlejuice - Perfect/Brown & King, Drabble, Fluff, Mother-Daughter Relationship, One Shot, Post-Canon, they're still married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:55:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24770425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffeeworld/pseuds/coffeeworld
Summary: Emily sees her daughter again.
Relationships: Beetlejuice & Lydia Deetz, Emily Deetz & Lydia Deetz
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	Wake me when I'm twenty one

_“-Sure this is a good idea Lyds-”_

_“-Just need you to behave-”_

Emily opened her eyes. The room was unfamiliar- a small single bedroom with a desk and a chair in one corner that screamed ‘college dorm’. The lights had been turned off, but candles still flickered on almost every spare surface, and the last dregs of golden daylight floated through a single window that had been left ajar. Twilight.

As Emily’s mind caught up with her new surroundings, she spotted two people watching her cautiously, one painfully familiar. The young woman was small, not much taller than Emily remembered her, with a slim white face and jet-black hair pulled up into a messy bun. There were already tears on her cheeks as she locked eyes with Emily, and the second they made contact the young woman darted forwards, barrelling into her chest.

“Mom.” She choked, burying her head into Emily’s shoulder, arms squeezing her tight. “I’m so glad to see you.”

She felt so warm in Emily’s arms, her pulse echoing loudly. It was an unfamiliar sensation for the ghost- half remembered and not entirely comfortable.

“Lydia?” Emily whispered. “Is that really you?”

She didn’t really need an answer, and she didn’t get one. Only more soft whimpers buried in her chest.

“How can this be happening?”

“Oh, that one I know.”

For the first time, Emily properly took in the other figure in the room, awkwardly hovering (literally) at the edge of the chalk circle in which she was standing. He was perhaps the blandest young man she’d ever seen- the kind of person you could look at and immediately forget. Slicked back brown hair, brown suit, brown glasses and a deathly pallor. He gave off the feel of death, just like her, but it wasn’t immediately obvious what the cause was. The only thing that stood out was his voice- a gravelly, harsh sounding voice completely out of place from the rest of him.

“Who are you?” Emily asked sharply, pulling Lydia slightly closer to her body.

“Lawrence. Just Lawrence. No other names.” The man said almost two quickly. He seemed nervous. “I helped Lyd-ia with the spell to get you here. You're very welcome.”

Emily glanced down at the chalk markings at her feet. She had looked into this kind of thing more than once in the Netherworld, but most of the symbols were still unfamiliar to her. “This is powerful stuff for a ghost.” She said.

“I- ugh- well-“ The man seemed thrown by her question. Finally he spoke very slowly and deliberately, as though he was thinking every word over before he said it. “You’re smart, aren't you? I might have got some help. From a demon.“

“A demon?!” Emily straightened sharply. One hand had been gently stroking her daughter’s head, but now she pulled Lydia behind her. “Are you an idiot?! Those things are dangerous. They can't be trusted and they'd kill Lydia in and instant if you give them the chance-”

“Mom. Mom, it’s okay!” Lydia pulled away from her for the first time, cheeks beginnng dry. She turned, gesturing towards Lawrence. She was clearly about to speak, but something abruptly shifted in her face as she took him in. A strange emotion flashed there as she hesitated- Annoyance? Amusement? Affection?. It broke Emily’s heart that she didn’t her know her daughter’s new features well enough to be sure.

“Lydia, why don’t you introduce me to your mother?” The man had taken on a pious tone.

“Are you actually-?” Lydia stopped, took a breath, and turned back to Emily. “Mom, I want you to meet B-“

“ **Lawrence**.” The man cut in, lunging forward to offer his hand. “I’m Lydia’s best friend.”

Lydia hummed softly beside her as Emily shook his hand. Something was clearly annoying her, but Emily couldn’t quite be sure what it was.

“Anyway, I’ll leave you two to it. Touching mother daughter reunion and all that.” Lawrence began backing out of the room, back ramrod straight and each step deliberate- like someone who didn’t remember how to walk normally.

“Oh please, don’t feel like you need to go. I’d love to know more about Lydia’s friends.” Her dead friends. “I’m sure I’ve missed out on a lot.”

“Yeah, _Lawrence._ I thought we agreed it would be nice for you to meet my Mom.” Lydia’s vice was cold as ice.

“Oh there’s really nothing to say Mrs Deetz. Uh- ex Mrs Deetz. I’m just a very normal ghost who happens to know your daughter.”

_“Ex_ Mrs Deetz?” Emily asked. If her daughter’s voice had been cold, this was sub-zero.

“Long story. Very boring. Just like me.” Lawrence’s face remained bland. “Anyway, I’ll leave the two of you to it. I’m sure there’s plenty of beautiful mother-daughter moments to catch up on and you don’t want me there disturbing you. I’ll be-not here.” And with that, the man was gone.

Emily regarded the space he had left for a moment. Lydia had always been just like her as a child, with a beautiful, uncontrollable love of all things strange and unusual, and a heart two sizes too big when it came to outcasts and misfits. Still, she wasn’t sure how to feel about what she had just seen. “You know.” She muttered into her daughter’s hair. “You're still a living young woman.”

“Mom, what are you talking about?” Lydia frowned up at her.

“Never mind.” Emily rested a cool hand on her daughter’s cheek. “Pumpkin, there’s so much I want to say.”

“Me too.”

“How long can I stay? It can’t be safe for me to stay here long.”

“Mom it’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

“Well I am worrying about it. I’ve looked into this before- summonings and seances. Everything I read said the same thing. Opening a door is a Bad Idea. Once the door is opened anything can come thorough, no way of stopping it.”

Lydia laughed, a throaty little chuckle that hadn’t changed since she was a little girl. “Mom, I’m telling you, it’s fine. Sit down. Relax.”

Emily couldn’t quite relax, but she did as her daughter told her, settling onto the stripy duvet. “So how long has it been?” She asked, taking in the room again. “Sorry, it’s just-“

“Time moves differently when you’re dead. I know.” Lydia sat down next to her, the bed creaking under her very human, living weight. “I’m twenty one now, Mom. I’m at college. Kent State.”

“What are you studying?”

“Photography.” Lydia gestured to the row of antique cameras lined up on one of her selves.

“Of course. Are you enjoying it?”

“I love it Mom.” Something flickered across Lydia’s face though. “But I do miss being home.”

“It must be pretty different to New York here.”

“We actually moved. After- you know. Dad wanted a fresh start”

Something fluttered in Emily’s chest where her heart used to be. “Oh. Where did you go?”

“Winter River- in Connecticut? It’s completely awful, but it all worked out okay in the end, because that’s where I met Barbara and Adam- you’d like them Mom, they’re so stupidly normal but so sweet- oh and they’re dead like you- and well it’s all kind of a long story, and they’re like part of the family now, but they can’t come and visit here, because they’re tied to the house. On account of the sandworms.”

Emily smiled fondly as her daughter lit up. “Sounds like I’ve missed a lot. Did you meet Lawrence there too?”

Lydia hesitated. But before she could give Emily an answer, something changed abruptly in the room. All at once, the candles were snuffed out, and for the first time since she had died, Emily’s whole body felt icy cold. Colder than usual. In the darkness at the centre of the chalk circle, tentacles of an even deeper blackness were emerging, crawling across the floor in painfully slow motion. Emily pulled her daughter close, her final breath sitting uncomfortably in her throat.

“Lydia.” She whispered. “Don’t move. That thing-“

“Mom. Trust me. It’s going to be okay.” Lydia pulled away from her arms. The creature was getting closer now, its noxious presence radiating towards them in waves. The closest tendril slithered towards the young woman’s ankle, but just before it could brush her skin, Lydia raised her face upwards and cried out- “Beetlejuice!”

The response was instant. Before the strange word had even finished echoing through the blackness, a bolt of green and white flashed past them.

“On it babes!”

The words came from somewhere in the centre of the circle. There was a power crackling there now, Emily could feel it burning on her skin, and sending static through her dry, dead hair. The inky monster had retreated back into itself, tentacle lashing wildly as though in pain, just short of Lydia’s pale ankle. Thunder crashed, despite the cloudless sky, and for an instant the room lit up with burning white light. When Emily could see again, there was a fire burning in the centre of the circle. It didn’t touch the floor or the furniture, but it licked hungrily over the dark monster. Flames blazed up and down its repulsive limbs, a myriad of different colours bursting into life. The creature shrieked as it burnt, an unholy, hellish sound that tore at Emily’s ears. Beside her, Lydia crouched down, hands clasped tight over her own ears, eyes squeezed tightly shut. And then it was over. All at once, the candles burst back into flame, and the pressure that had been crushing into the room disappeared. Emily blinked, caught off guard by the sudden normality. Lydia was still on the floor beside her, curled into a tight ball, but before Emily could reach out to her, there was someone else there.

“Lyds, are you okay?” It was an unfamiliar man, his back to her and arms clutching Lydia’s face. “Did that bastard hurt you?” His hair was a furious, bright red.

“BJ I’m fine, get off.” Lydia pushed his hands away. Wait, how many hands? Emily blinked, confused for a moment, but the man’s shape was decidedly human when she looked again. “It was just loud, that’s all.” She stood, dusting off her black dress.

“Aw c’mon, don’t be mad.” The figure slung an arm casually over Lydia’s shoulder. She didn’t seem to mind. “I had to work pretty hard to send that thing back to the Netherworld. You should be proud of me“

“Sure, I’ll give you a gold star later. You know you could have sorted it out a lot quicker if you’d been here-“

Emily coughed. The two figures swivelled quickly to face her.

“Oh hey dead Mom, forgot you were there. Still dead?” The new figure was a lot to take in. He was dead, that much was obvious from his pale skin, and the dirty striped suit he wore. The red in his hair had faded completely, and now the wild mop on his head and dusting of stubble on his cheeks were a bright green. And was that a hint of purple at the very tips? This wasn’t just another ghost; Emily could tell immediately. There was a strange pressure cracking off him, like static electricity, radiating in every direction expect at her daughter.

“Dead mom?” Emily wasn’t sure where to start.

“Mom, I want you to meet Beetlejuice.“

“Another dead friend?” God, he looked so much older than Lydia.

“Same friend. Someone was just being ridiculous about meeting you.”

“Hey, cut me some slack babes. You know that all I ever want is to make a good impression.” The man clasped his hands together, demeanour shifting suddenly. “Oh mama, all I ever wanted was for someone to love me for who I truly am.” He had taken on a southern drawl for some reason.

“Look, Mr Beetlejuice?-”

“What’s with you Deetz’s and calling me Mr? Makes me feel old. Call me BJ. Mr BJ is my father.”

Emily took a slow breath and swallowed her pride. “BJ then. I ‘m afraid I don’t really understand why you felt like you had to pretend to be someone else when we first met, but I’m always very glad to meet a friend of Lydia’s.” This was not how she had pictured reuniting with her daughter.

“Husband.”

“Sorry, what?”

“Technically I’m her husband.”

“You’re married to a dead guy?!” Emily knew her voice had squeaked in an undignified manner, but she didn’t care.

“It was a green card thing!” The two of them said it simultaneously. Just a little too quickly.

“Look, it’s not a proper marriage Mom. I agreed to marry him so that he could come back to life, that’s all.”

Emily took a slow step towards her daughter, raising one hand. “Lydia, honey, I don’t know what this man has told you, but there is no way for the dead to come back to life. I’ve read the handbook for the recently deceased a hundred times, and it’s very clear that once you’re a ghost that’s it. There’s no redos. Look at him- he’s still dead isn’t he?”

“Hey Lydia, look, your Mom thinks I’m trying to trick you!”

To Emily’s surprise, the two of them collapsed into giggles like two silly teenagers.

“Mom-.” Lydia broke off into another round of laughter. Emily pressed her lips together and waited, struggling to supress the annoyance growing inside her. She had been so glad to see her daughter again, after all this time, but Lydia’s continual insistence that everything was fine was starting to worry her. It was uncomfortably reminiscent of one of their teenage arguments that would end with Lydia locked in her room. “Mom, he’s dead because I killed him again.”

This was too much. Emily wasn’t even sure where to start with her questions. But as she regarded the chaotic man and her daughter, and the black ring sat on her daughter’s finger that she was sure hadn’t been therefore, she managed to parrot the words- “You killed him?”

“Bad art straight through the heart. Check it out!” Before she could decline, Betlejuice had pulled open the top button of his shirt to reveal an ugly scar in the centre of his sternum, pressing it uncomfortably close to her face. “Pretty cool, right?”

Emily said nothing for a long time. The man seemed to read her mood after a moment, slinking back to Lydia’s side, and the two of them watched her together in silence. Eventually she tried to find words. They weren’t the right ones. They sounded patronising and wrong the minute they came out, but she ploughed on anyway, desperate to fill the silence. “This is a lot to take in pumpkin. First I get to see you again, then that thing arrived-“

“Rude.”

“And now you’re telling me you’re married to this- this-“

“Handsome stranger? Cult-favourite character? Lovable sex pest?”

“This _man._ I just don’t know what you want me to say.”

“Mom.” Lydia smiled slightly, but her eyes were overly bright. “I don’t need you to ay anything. I just wanted-” She shrugged. “I guess I just wanted to say hi. Tell you I’m doing okay and get to hear you say my name. It’s been a long time you know Mom.” She was trying, badly, to play indifferent. And suddenly Emily did know. She had left behind a young girl and now there was a woman standing before her. One that she hadn’t had the chance to see grow. One who, just like her, had been living on the dregs of memories of their time together. “This was a mistake. I’m sorry Mom. We’ll send you back.”

“No. No Lydia, it wasn’t a mistake.” Emily was firm. All she'd ever wanted for Lydia, really, was for her to be happy. That was the most important thing, wasn't it? Everything else was just noise. “I’m sorry. I’d love to stay a bit longer if I can.” She looked over at Beetlejuice, his arms wrapped tightly around her daughter, hair decidedly more purple than it had been before. “You can deal with anything else that might come through from the Netherworld, right?”

“You bet I can!” He perked up almost instantly, like a child given a toy, grin snapping into place and hair flashing back to a bright green.

“Lets just sit down here and you can tell me everything I’ve missed. I’m sure you’ve got lots to tell me.”

Lydia looked up at her, eyes wide and vulnerable, unchanged from the tiny little child who would come clattering in from the garden with an injured crow she wanted to adopt. “You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

Ok Mom. But I should warn you. The last few years have been pretty strange and unusual.”

"That's okay. I think we both like it best that way."


End file.
